


Emerald Wings

by Rudy_Wolf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angel Dean Winchester, Human Castiel, M/M, Ownership, reverse!verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:14:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rudy_Wolf/pseuds/Rudy_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Emerald’s wings were not as soft as they looked . They were stiff under his fingers, but smooth as he ran his hand down the length of his pet's longest flight feather. Emerald twitched and glared over his shoulder at Castiel, hissing softly in warning when Castiel traced his finger up along one of the edges, ruffling the feather just slightly.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Art by: Merc at http://msmerc.tumblr.com/
> 
> Beta Readers: [Rae](http://nerdylittledude.tumblr.com/) and [Rebecca](http://identityfox.tumblr.com/). Thanks for tackling the first part of this beast with me!

                                                                      

“ _Gabriel chuckled as he read the golden name plate mounted in front of the over-decorative, gilded cage." Emerald, huh? A little on the nose, don’t you think?” Castiel did not respond; instead, he stared intently at the strange creature on display. His eldest brother, Michael, was the owner of the states largest botanical garden; where Castiel was invited, along with Gabriel, to see their latest exhibit before it opened to the public. Castiel was completely transfixed, as he stared up at the creature perched on a high swing._

_The creature inside looked like a man but wasn’t a man, with great wings from his back, in a flurry of green and gold that caught the sunlight whenever they moved. It was a breath taking sight; Castiel was entranced. The creature inside was looking around its  new Habitat slowly, eying the bars surrounding him carefully, and tapping its fingers against the sturdy steel poles holding his perch to the roof of his cage. Castiel took a step closer, wanting to get a better look when, abruptly, the creature turned its head toward him. Castiel froze up; unable to take another step as angry, green, eyes held him in place. An exasperated sigh came from behind him, as Gabriel nudged Castiel in the ribs, jolting him out of his strange reverie._

“ _Are you even listening to me, Cassie?” Gabriel huffed, with arms crossed. Castiel nodded quickly and let Gabriel drag him away from the cage to the next exhibit, but all day his mind kept wandering back to angry eyes and beautiful emerald wings.  
_

~ ~ ~

Emerald’s wings were not as soft as they looked. They were stiff under his fingers, but smooth as he ran his hand down the length of his pet's longest flight feather. Emerald twitched and glared over his shoulder at Castiel, hissing softly in warning when Castiel traced his finger up along one of the edges, ruffling the feather just slightly.

“Sorry, sorry!” Castiel quickly held his hands up in a placating gesture. Emerald continued to stare with narrowed green eyes, seeming to try and burn a hole right through his master's chest. Castiel kept his hands up and averted his eyes. Finally, Emerald turned back around and spread his wings out once more, giving permission for Castiel to continue. Carefully, Castiel placed his hand back on the smooth, green feathers, making sure to slide them with the grain.

Emerald made a soft chittering noise and it made Castiel's heart jump in his chest. Their rather unconventional relationship had taken leaps and bounds in the few weeks since Castiel obtained his strange new pet. Or, rather, since Castiel paid hand over fist to take the strange green winged man from his brother’s botanical garden in order to keep this magnificent creature from being put down like a dog.

It had been a shaky start to say the least. There was a reason the garden manager's to wanted Emerald to be put down. He was violent, unpredictable, and even put a few of the park's workers in the infirmary. Nothing too major... -in Castiel's opinion- just some serious claw and teeth marks and some broken bones. But, it was enough to demand for the wild beast's head. Castiel could not let that happen, he had fallen in love with those angry green eyes and powerful wings.

He had visited Emerald's exhibit every day since it opened and learned everything he could about the creature inside. It was heart -breaking, seeing such an amazing thing caged and raging. Most of the time, Emerald would slam himself against the cage's gilded bars until some handlers would have to come in and either sedate him or tether him to his roost so he could not hurt himself. Said handlers usually ended up in the hospital in the process. When he was not raging against the confines of his cage, he was sitting on his roost, staring longingly up at the sky.

The worst, though, was when Castiel had visited after hours, (a special privilege earned as the younger brother of the owner). As he walked through the empty path -ways and examined the night bloom water lilies and moon flowers (just a few of the breeds that only bloom at night), he heard a long, sorrowful sound echoing through the silence of the park. He had followed it to Emerald's cage and listened. It sounded almost like a song in an unfamiliar language, deep and mournful. Castiel had watched and listened from a safe enough distance to avoid being spotted. Emerald sang into the night, a deep growl of a voice that sent shivers down Castiel's spine and caused his heart to ache.

After that moment, skulking in the bushes, Castiel decided he never wanted to hear Emerald's voice that sorrowful again. Not that he got many chances to anyway. Since coming to Castiel's home, the winged man hardly ever made a sound outside a growl or a hiss. Every time Castiel went to sit in the observation room, Emerald would bristle up and take off silently into the denser part of the green house and out of view. It was disheartening but Castiel would not force the winged man to interact if he did not want to, -Castiel wanted Emerald to come to him on his own terms.

It took weeks. Weeks of Castiel sitting quietly in the observation room, sketching his exotic flowers and trees in his book. One day, a large shadow intercepted his light and when Castiel looked up, he saw Emerald, naked and perched on the cage bars that encompassed the observation room. Castiel held his breath and watched Emerald watching him. Or rather, the winged man was looking at what Castiel had drawn in his book. Once he realized this, Castiel fumbled with his note book to show the creature above him, but when he had looked back up, Emerald was gone. A few days later Castiel found himself eating his lunch and sketching lazily when he felt a gust of wind at his side. Once more, Emerald appeared on the other side of the bars, eyes narrowed and watching Castiel closely.

This time, Castiel held very still and tried not to look over, with more than a sideways glance, and continued to eat his lunch. Emerald watched every bite that Castiel took, wings twitching and licking his lips. It was not a far stretch to guess that his pet wanted some of his food. Castiel looked at his sandwich, -it was turkey. Would it be considered cannibalism? Of course not, Emerald was not actually a bird. Even if he was, birds did sometimes eat other birds... Taking out the half of sandwich he had not bitten off, Castiel broke that part in half and moved over to the space just off from where Emerald was sitting. Of course, his pet jumped back but this time, did not completely vanish into the brush.

Castiel was not brazen enough to put his arm through the bars. Instead, he placed a bit of sandwich just on the other side of the bars and quickly backed off, taking his seat and resuming his work. A few minuets later, there was a quiet rustling and when Castiel looked back, the sandwich and Emerald were gone.

Two days later, he was back. Emerald was closer to where Castiel was sitting, watching. Castiel smiled softly and waved. For the first time, his pet did not puff up and fly off. Emerald blinked and narrowed his eyes but looked a little more interested in what Castiel was drawing. It was a picture of his pet, from the first time they had gotten close and the creature was peering down from the top of the observation room cage.

“Do you want to see?” Castiel asked quietly.

Emerald blinked once and glanced at the page Castiel held up. His pet perked up and reached through the bars, holding out his hand to take the book. Castiel hesitated. It would be very easy for this creature to grab him and slam him back, breaking his arm or worse... Emerald's sharp, black, claws reflected the sunlight menacingly but his face showed no signs of aggression. Castiel sucked down a steadying breath before placing the book into his pet's waiting palm before quickly drawing back. Emerald did not seem to notice or care about what Castiel did once he had the book.

His pet seemed entranced by the image on the paper. Castiel never considered himself to be particularly good at drawings outside of flowers and landscape, but he supposed the image was recognizable as Emerald. Castiel watched as his pet traced the lines on the paper with the ends of his claws, so careful as to not to rip the pages up. For what felt like a long time, Castiel could not figure out what Emerald found so fascinating about the image until something occurred to him. Emerald had been wild before being brought to the gardens, supposedly a type that lived in the high mountains. It occurred to Castiel that this might have been the first time Emerald had ever gotten a look at his own face.

“You're, um -you're very handsome-” Castiel said, chuckling nervously. It was a little redundant to speak to him. As far as anyone knew, Emerald did not understand their language and showed no signs of attempting to communicate with humans.

To his surprise, Emerald looked up from the drawing and gave Castiel a long, hard look before carefully putting the book back through the bars and laying it on the ground. He did not take off right away like Castiel expected him too, but instead kept watching the young artist. Castiel was not certain, but it almost looked like the lines around Emerald's eyes had softened. His mouth was no longer set into that hard frown he seemed to always wear. Castiel tried a little smile again and opened his mouth to say something else but Emerald seemed to have had enough socialization for the day. He opened his powerful green wings and took off as high as the green house would let him, slipping once more into the thick foliage, unseen once again.

Weeks carried on like that. Castiel would sit in his chair and sketch; sometimes the flora in his green house, and sometimes his pet. Emerald would sit just off to the side and watch. One morning, Castiel was working on a sketch of some bleeding hearts, thinking of an idea for a painting later. Emerald was nowhere in sight, which was not uncommon, the beast usually liked to keep hidden most days and did whatever it was he did during the night.

Castiel was so focused on getting every detail of the little hanging flowers that when he finally noticed his leg cramping, he stretched it out and kicked over his pen case, knocking it down the gentle slope beyond the cage bars and into the dense foliage below.

“Shit.” He murmured. With a frustrated sigh, Castiel folded up his sketch book and got down on hands and knees, reaching as far past the bars as he could to ineffectively swipe the tips of his fingers over the smooth surface of his pen case. A rustle in the trees made the artist jerk his arm back and get away from the bars. He was still keenly aware of Emerald out there and perfectly capable of hurting him if the urge stuck him; even if his pet had been very peaceful the last few days, he still had a track record of hostility.-

Emerald did not come out of the trees. Letting out a breath he had not noticed he was holding, Castiel sank back into his chair and stared forlorn at his pen case. It was a special gift from his older sister Anna, given to him on his thirty-fourth birthday. Castiel crouched down and stared at the little black case. When he looked over the area around it, Castiel noticed it was not too far from a maintenance door. Without thinking about it too much, the artist made his way to the door but paused before his hand even touched the handle. So far, only the maintenance crew had ever gone in this place since Emerald had been brought in. Their Gardner Joshua had said that he had never encountered the creature and claimed not to be worried about him either way. Bobby and Rufus said that Emerald had tried to make trouble for them once when they were fixing the water pipes in the ceiling.

It was shocking to hear the story from Bobby who just shrugged his shoulders and gruffly said: “Ain't gonna let no feather brain get the best of me. Gave 'im one good smack upside the head an’ he backed off.” Even if Bobby and Rufus were just insane enough to smack such a powerful creature ' _up side the head',_ Castiel was not about to test that for himself. He could not imagine having the fortitude to raise his hand to Emerald; it was easy to be relaxed and casual with the safety of the bars between them, but one on one? Castiel had no delusions about the outcome of that encounter.

Castiel chewed his lip and debated the consequences of entering the garden alone. One hand: the case was only a few yards from the door, -he could grab it and get out before anyone knew he was in there. On the other hand. Emerald could rip out of the trees and maul him before he even knew what was happening.

 _What_? No, that was ridiculous. He was thinking way too much into this. Emerald was not going to attack him and he would just go in and get his case in less than five minutes. Steeling his nerves, Castiel pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was all a bit anti-climactic. Nothing came screeching out from the trees to snap at his throat, -the door did not even squeak. Castiel let out a little laugh and put a stick in front of the door to prop it open and strode purposely through the grass to retrieve his birthday gift. As he was brushing the grass from the surface, Castiel heard a soft snap and gentle thumping noise. He snapped his head up and looked over in horror as the maintenance door slipped shut with an ominous click.

Castiel rushed over to the door and tugged on the handle but it was pointless. The door automatically locked from the outside unless you had the access key. Which, of course, Castiel did not. The rustling returned and Castiel turned sharply to press his back against the door and found himself face to face with Emerald. How did his pet get there so fast? Emerald was silent, Castiel was starting to get the sinking feeling that the creature had been watching him long before he even got into the green house floor.

“Um... Hello, I was just... getting my pen case,-” Castiel stammered out and thrust the pen case out in front of him jerkily to show what he was talking about. Emerald did not move outside of one small wing twitch and looked at the shiny black case in his owners hand, then back to his face. Castiel continued to hold the case out awkwardly in front of him as if he expected it to protect him in anyway from the possible trashing he would receive.

Finally, Emerald moved, stretching his wings out and making him looking even larger. Castiel sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, bracing for the slice of claws or bone crushing bites. When none came, Castiel cracked one eye open. There was no viciousness on Emerald's face, no bared teeth or hissing; just a curious head tilt. Fingers found their way to his shirt sleeve, making Castiel jump a little and cause Emerald to flap his wings in agitation.

“Apologies.”

Emerald huffed a little, settling his wings against his back and resuming his quiet exploration of Castiel's shirt sleeve. Sharp claws trailed over the seam in the shirt sleeve up to his shoulder and over to the collar. Castiel held his breath and tried not to flinch or make any sudden movements with those razor talons so close to his neck, but their prickling tickled at the edges of his skin made it almost impossible not to squirm.

Slowly, his pet rubbed the edge of Castiel's collar between his thumb and forefinger, making a soft clicking noise. Emerald is never in clothing. When he had been brought in from the wild he had been just as naked as he was now and any attempt to cover him was met with furious resistance and in the end, everyone figured it was not worth it. Castiel didn't mind; Emerald was perfectly beautiful to look at completely nude.

Maybe the creature had never seen clothing before? Very little was known about Emerald's kind; the only things they did know were the physical aspects learned from the very few that had been taken into captivity in the last twenty years. It was not impossible that they wore nothing out in the wild. Judging from the heat generating off his pets skin at such a close range, Castiel imagined a thick fluffy sweater would be most uncomfortable.

A laugh bubbled up in his chest before he could stop it. A mental image of Emerald in a bright green sweater and matching pants came to the forefront of his mind. The noise caused his pet to startle, wings flared high in surprise. Castiel tried to stifle it , not wanting to upset this rather delicate situation, but every time he tried, even more ridiculous mental images kept replacing the last ones.

For his part, Emerald did not seem put off by the laughter. The the contrary, he looked curious and made quiet clicks and soft coos in the back of his throat. When Castiel finally managed to reign in his own laughter, he noticed that Emerald was no longer touching his shirt and had taken a few steps back and was staring. It was unsettling, to have those intense green eyes scrutinizing him. Castiel found himself shifting from foot to foot, squirming under the intense gaze of what was _supposed_ to be just a pet, something pretty to look at,-- but now-- Castiel felt like the one on display.

Emerald looked like he was having some sort of internal debate with himself, judging from the hard set frown on his face and the way his eyes kept twitching from spot to spot on what Castiel could only assume was his person; but surely that was improbable. Emerald was an animal; he hissed, screeched, snapped and did rather unsavory, destructive things when angry. As far as Castiel knew, animals did not internally debate with themselves or analyze their owners...

A shifting gust of air brought Castiel's attention back to the powerful creature in front of him. Emerald flapped his wings again and his expression seemed to have changed. His face, which was normally set in a permanent scowl, had lightened some and Castiel might have even believed his pet was smiling just a little. Emerald took a few purposeful steps forward, making Castiel flinch back a little bit, bracing himself for anything. Instead, his pet stopped an arm’s length away and opened his mouth like he was going to say something-

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

Castiel turned sharply to see Bobby through the cage bars, franticly working the keys to get the door open. Another gust of air ruffled his hair and when Castiel turned back around; Emerald was gone, already hidden among the trees and plants. It surprised the artist, how much it disappointed him to see that his pet had taken off. He'd been so sure Emerald was going to say something... That was impossible of course, but Castiel still found himself holding his breath all the same. The sound of the door unlocking and Bobby's gruff voice made Castiel look away from the thicker parts of the green house, fully expecting one of the worst tongue lashings of his life.

“What the hell is wrong with you, boy? That thing was less than a foot away, and no offense, but I doubt you’re gonna be able to go one on one with him if he gets violent.”

That was a little unfair. Castiel was not weak by any standards; he ran every morning and did some muscle training. He was not as thickly built as his pet maybe, but he would at least last longer than what Bobby was suggesting. However, Castiel wisely did not argue it. He quickly explained about his pen case and not realizing that the door locks once closed. Bobby just sighed and took his ball cap off to run a hand over his graying hair.

“You're just lucky it’s the first of the month.”

Castiel's blank look must have annoyed him further.

“The first of the month? Ya know, that time I come in to do regular maintenance checks on this place? Boy, you really are an idjit aren’t ya? What the hell were ya gonna do if no one came back huh?”

Castiel gave an indignant grunt and narrowed his eyes, but the look lost some of its intimidation when his cheeks became flushed with embarrassment. Bobby just rolled his eyes and continued to growl, pushing past Castiel, but not before shoving something in his hand.

“Get the hell outta here before I call yer idjit brother an tell 'im you almost got mauled for a fricking pen case.”

That was all that needed to be said. Castiel floundered for words for a moment before murmuring a quiet 'thank you' and turning to leave. The thing Bobby had given him was the key to the door from the inside. He felt incredibly sheepish as he used it, the creaking of the door only seeming to mock him further for his carelessness. As he shut the door behind him and made his way back to his spot on the observation deck, Castiel could not shake the feeling of being watched. He looked up and saw Bobby's back disappear into the thick brush, utterly fearless of Emerald and his sharp talons. As he watched the old mechanic vanish, the watched feeling did not leave him and Castiel looked to the trees for any sign of his strange pet but could not see anything, Emerald was very good at not being seen when he did not want to. It always made Castiel wonder how he had managed to be caught in the first place.

Bobby never told on him to Michael much to Castiel's endless gratitude. Bobby had just shrugged it off and told him that he thought Michael was a bigger 'Idjit' than Castiel and it was just a matter of who he liked more. An odd way of phrasing it, but it was still weirdly satisfying to know Bobby liked him, even a little. Something about the old man made him strive for his approval despite himself.

Castiel did not try to go into the green house beyond the caged safe area after that, but he did think about it often. Emerald did not come by the observation deck since then but Castiel could still feel his eyes on him always. On the morning of the third day after the incident, Castiel decided he would enter the green house again despite the warnings and lecture Bobby had given him. Emerald was going to _say something_ , -it was an insane notion but Castiel could not shake the image of his pet, mouth open and poised to speak.This time, he would go prepared. He packed up turkey sandwiches and some fruits and vegetables, it was more than enough to share or at least to make a peace offering. With key in hand and a basket full of food, Castiel slipped in through the maintenance door once again.

The water timer had just ended, leaving the green house pleasantly humid and sweet smelling and It helped the nervous fluttering in his stomach a little bit. Castiel squinted into the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of green wings, straining to hear a rustle of feathers but everything was perfectly still. Setting the little basket at his feet, Castiel turned to close the door and secured it when a gust of air rustled his hair and clothes.

Castiel turned sharply and gasedp. It would never not be unsettling how the creature could appear so silently with those massive wings. Emerald stared for a moment before looking down to the basket at Castiel's feet and making a little chittering noise.

“Oh! It's lunch. I thought you would like something besides fruit and grain.”

Judging from the blank look on Emeralds face, everything Castiel said went completely over his pets head. Castiel cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly towards the basket, reaching down carefully to pick the basket up and pull out a carefully wrapped turkey sandwich. Emerald seemed more interested now; his wings twitched and he moved in closer to get a better look at what was in Castiel's hand.

Wings came into the picture then, crowding around Castiel as Emerald became more impatient while he unwrapped the sandwich and started to press up against his shoulder. Emerald was a little taller than Castiel himself, but with the added wingspan it made the creature look far larger and it was a little intimidating. Huffing a little in frustration, Castiel gave his pet a firm shove to push him back to at least an arm's length away.

“Just wait! I need to get the plastic wrap off before you can eat it.” Castiel commanded in his firmest tone. Which wasn't easy when a few green feathers began to tickle at the back of his neck.

Emerald looked put off, but did back down a little. The wings around Castiel's head and shoulders pulled back to give him some room but were still raised up in excitement, the feathers all spread out to where Castiel could see the gold color that lined every inner feather. He waited a second more to be sure Emerald had calmed down a little, then finished up wrapping the sandwich and held it out for his pet. It was just a basic sandwich, noting but meat, bread and a little lettuce. Castiel was not sure how more processed foods like cheese or mayo would affect his pet since he was on a pretty strict, all-natural diet.

When Emerald reached with his hand, Castiel felt a little embarrassed to have thought that his pet might have actually tried to eat from his hand. He was admittedly, a little grateful that he had not. Emerald was very beautiful and exotic but still had a human face, an _attractive_ human face, at that. Having his pet eat from his hand or even petting him might make him feel like he was in one of those kinky master/slave relationships Gabriel once told him about.

Castiel was struck by a mental image of Emerald in leather collars and tight clothes that showed off his naturally toned body. Castiel squeaked and flushed, trying his best to cover his mouth with his hand when Emerald looked over with a raised eye brow and mouth full of turkey sandwich.

“ its, uh-- its nothing!” Castiel sputtered and waved his hand dismissively. Emerald narrowed his eyes a moment before crouching down on his haunches to finish his lunch. Letting out a calming breath, Castiel retrieved a yogurt cup from the basket and sat down on the soft, moist grass. As he nursed his cup of strawberry yogurt, he watched his pet with the offered food. It was strange, Emerald ate slowly and carefully, taking each bite into account with closed eyes and a little blissful look on his face like he had not tasted something so good in a very long time.

Castiel sipped his yogurt cup and took in the curve of Emerald's back as he crouched over his food and the bob of his throat when he swallowed a bite. Emerald was truly beautiful, cast in the soft over head lights of the green house. Emerald paused to push some hair from his face with a little irritated huff. Castiel chuckled quietly but it was enough for Emerald to snap his head towards him, making Castiel shut up quickly.

“Apologies...” He murmured and sipped his yogurt. Emerald rolled his eyes and flapped his wings once and finished his sandwich.

When Emerald was done, he got up and looked like he was about to take off when Castiel pulled something else out from the basket. Emerald paused watching as Castiel slipped the clear wrap off something sweet-smelling that was sitting on a plain white plate. It was just a simple slice of _organic_ apple pie he had bought to placate his older brother when he complained about Castiel’s lack of sweets. Emerald made a curious chirp and sniffed at the plate offered to him.

“It’s apple pie. I know Anna told me not to give you sugar or processed foods, but I think a small bit wouldn't hurt.”

Emerald was not listening. He got a little closer and sniffed curiously at the plate offered him. It smelled good, but Emerald still looked unsure. Smiling, Castiel dipped a finger into the thick apple syrup and put it in his mouth with an exaggerated groan of approval. Emerald's wings flared up high in surprise and he jumped back a little at the artist strange noise. Castiel chuckled and blushed a little as he offered up the pie again.

“Its worth trying Emerald.” He offered, sliding the plate across the grass and sitting back.

Emerald looked between the plate and Castiel a few times before reaching out and wiping a claw through the goop like he had seen Castiel do and carefully licked the claw clean. The reaction was instant. Emerald kneed and flapped his wings several times excitedly, sending some leaves scattering with the heavy gusts he created. Castiel covered his face to keep any debris from getting in his eyes. When he lowered his arm he laughed lightly at his pet, who was happily picking apart the flaky crusts and plucking sticky apple slices between sharp claws.

“Good, then?” He chuckled as Emerald flapped his wings with a chirp and licked his lips of the sugary sweet substance. Emerald continued until the plate was licked clean when he looked back to Castiel sharply, wings flared up high to keep balance as he crawled forward on all fours, looking expectant.

Blinking, Castiel moved back until his back pressed up against the door when Emerald did not stop to moving in. “Oh_, I don’t have anymore.” He stammered, holding his hands up in a feeble attempt to keep the creature at bay. Emerald did not stop or seem to care; he pressed right into Castiel's hands and leaned in close, snuffling curiously at something. When large, clawed hands came in close, Castiel flinched back a little, unsure of what to expect.

Warm, calloused, fingers brushed his cheek. Castiel opened one eye slowly and his vision was filled entirely with green and gold. It was breathtaking. Emerald's eyes were the softest he had ever seen them, calm and curious instead of the fury and wild rage Castiel had been expecting. The fingers moved, tracing the sharp tips of his claws just under Castiel's eye, below his ear, then down his jaw, never with enough pressure to break the skin. Castiel held his breath and watched Emeralds unusually calm features as he traced his fingers further down to just above his shirt collar... to wipe off a bit of apple pie filling that had fallen just under his collar.

Suddenly, Emerald backed off entirely. All of the air felt like it had been pulled out of Castiel’s lungs with him. Emerald licked the syrup from his fingers, looking all too pleased with himself while Castiel tried to catch his own breath. A soft chirp from Emerald made Castiel look up. His pet was staring at him with a raised eye brow and twitching wings.

“I... I am alright.-” He said shakily, reaching up to touch the spot where Emerald's fingers wiped away the mess. Emerald huffed and settled his wings against his back before he rose to his feet, back straight and shoulders broad. He looked ready to leave again and this time Castiel would have nothing to offer to get him to stay again. Instead, Castiel stood up and clenched his hands at his sides, feeling like he should say something but unsure of what. Would his pet even understand his words? It was starting to become apparent that Emerald understood more than he was letting on and was far more intelligent than Anna had said.

Castiel opened his mouth to say something but the tips of those perfect green feathers touched over his shoulder and brushed his neck. Looking up, Castiel saw his pet smiling, really smiling, eyes crinkling at the edges like something amused him. As he looked upon the winged man, Castiel found himself at a loss for words. Emerald nodded once to his _master,_ then took off, perfectly silent and with a gust of air. It was quite a sight; Castiel had never witnessed Emerald taking flight before, he was a perfect balance of muscle, grace, and feathers, perfectly silent as he took off as high as the green house allowed, disappearing past the trees.

The sight left him speechless. Castiel stared at the spot Emerald slipped into, still hoping to catch a glimpse of green feathers or sun kissed skin. After quite some time, it seemed unlikely that Castiel would see his pet for the rest of the day. He packed up the basket and few plates and left the green house quietly.

The following day, Castiel returned with more turkey sandwiches and another slice of pie. Before he even had the door closed, Emerald was right behind him, wings twitching as he reached for the basket eagerly. Castiel just laughed lightly and gently pushed his pet away to go and sit in the previous spot while he served up their sandwiches and pie. They ate their lunch in comfortable silence with-in a wings distance of each other. Castiel could not help but follow the graceful arch of Emerald's beautiful green wings all the way down to the tips that were just hovering over the grass.

It was so tempting to reach out and brush his finger over the longest flight feather. His fingers were twitching around his fork. Emerald must have noticed because his wing twitched and curled in closer to Emerald's back with a soft warning growl. Castiel quickly pulled his fingers into his lap with a small, embarrassed flush.

“My mistake” He muttered and took another bite out of his pie, looking anywhere but at the green winged man.

Emerald huffed and rolled his eyes as he licked the remnants of his dessert from his fingers. With the food gone, Castiel assumed Emerald would take off like yesterday. Instead, Emerald stuck around and watched as Castiel finished off his own pie slice. Castiel was feeling a little fidgety under Emerald's scrutiny, his appetite slowly disappearing. With a sigh, Castiel just put his fork down and handed over the plate to the winged man, defeated without even a word. Emerald gave a proud little smirk and happily took the plate to finish off the remaining dessert.

“Anna will be unhappy with me, if you gain too much weight here.” Castiel huffed as he placed his cheek in his palm.. Emerald just chirped and shrugged one shoulder, making his wing rustle. With all pie properly consumed and plates licked clean, Emerald finally took a stand and stretched his wings out as far as they would go, casting Castiel in their shadow.

“I suppose you’re going now?” He asked quietly, folding his knees to his chest. Emerald huffed quietly and looked down at Castiel, head tilted curiously. Slowly, one of those large wings, stretched over the short distance and curled around Castiel's shoulders. They hovered over him but never quite touched, though Castiel could still feel the warmth radiating from those soft looking feathers as they circled him. Unsure of what to do, Castiel kept his hands folded up against his chest and fought the urge to reach out and brush his fingers against the feathers surrounding him. Instead, he took in the sight of them, how large the flight feathers at the bottom were and how they interlaced perfectly all the way to the top ridge where the feathers were smaller and even softer- looking.

It was a breath taking sight. With a whisper of air, Emerald pulled his wing back in and gave a curt nod before taking off silently behind the trees. Without the warmth of Emerald's wing, the green house almost felt too cold for Castiel. He left it for the remainder of the evening, opting to spend the rest of his night in his parlor, sketching out the carefully laid patterns of Emerald's wing. It went on like that for a week; Castiel would pack some plain sandwiches and pie, and once or twice he brought some different fruits and a few vegetables. Apples were a mild success though carrots were met with a displeased snarl and tossed back in his face.

Every Day, Castiel tried his hand at conversation, as best he could manage. Gabriel had a little dog he often spoke to like an equal, but Castiel had never had a pet before, and speaking to Emerald like he understood felt a little silly. Emerald would watch him calmly while he ate his food and never made an effort to join in the conversation, though of course, Castiel never expected him to. Castiel would go on about his day so far, talking about his paintings, his brother Gabriel, and just his general thoughts and feelings about whatever came to mind.

Emerald would just sit quietly and soak it all up while he ate his food.

As soon as the food was gone, Emerald would wrap a wing around Castiel's shoulders to hover just a little and generate a bit of warmth before flying off to his own part of the green house. Everything was going well. Emerald had even taken to sitting close by when Castiel was behind the bars in the observation platform longer and longer.

Castiel was in the middle of preparing the day's lunch -roast chicken from last night’s dinner cut up into manageable bits, in this case- when the phone rang. Castiel was so unsed to the sound of his phone ringing that he nearly jumped when he heard it. Gabriel usually preferred to get his attention through text message and Anna also favored calling his cell. Castiel quickly washed his hands in the sink and snatched the phone from the wall by its third ring.

“Milton residence, Castiel speaking.” A silly thing to say, since this was his house and he lived alone, but old habits die hard.

“Hello Castiel,-” Purred an all too familiar voice that made ice creep down Castiel's spine.

“Michael.” Castiel said curtly, fingers gripping the phone in a white knuckled grip.

“Yes, Castiel,- I'll get to the point. I am coming over for dinner tonight,- I would like you to take me to your greenhouse so I can see my old investment.”

There was a long pause, silence stretching awkwardly for at least 30 seconds.

“That is... unexpected-.” He said slowly. There was a soft chuckle from the other end.

"Yes, well, you know me. I have been just so busy that I need to take what little time I can to visit my baby brother and his... pet. You know I worry about you being in that big house all alone.”

Castiel gritted his teeth and did all he could to keep his breathing under control. He hated it when Michael did this, using the family card to force his way into his life when it suited him most. Castiel closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Michael, what is the true reason for your visit?”

This time Michael really laughed, making Castiel's blood run cold.

“Fine, fine. I want to see the creature, He cost me quite a lot of money and I would like to see how he is doing.”

“He is fine Michael, I assure you,” Castiel said in short, clipped words. There was another silence before Michael spoke up, tone edging on dangerous.

“Do not speak to me like that Castiel. As you might recall, I paid quite a bit for him and I am still paying for the damages he caused.” He barked from his side of the phone.

“Yes Michael, I _DO_ recall that. I also recall buying him off of you because your people could not handle him.

Michael snorted over the phone and Castiel could swear he heard him roll his eyes.

“Don't get cute little brother. I will be over tonight; you will have rack of lamb made up with some of those little tarts I like for desert. See you at seven.”

With no time to retort, the line went dead. Castiel held the phone to his ear for a few minutes longer before he finally placed it back on the receiver with an echoing click. “Dammit!” He growled and pounded his fist against the wall beside the phone. Damn Michael and his spoiled, all ways-gets-his-way attitude. He always did this, it was so unfair! With a frustrated growl, Castiel turned to hastily finish the sandwiches and stormed his way to the green house.

Anticipating Castiel's usual punctuality, Emerald was already there and waiting behind the door when Castiel threw it open and slammed it shut. Emerald jump and flap his wings in agitation, looking confused. Castiel's anger dissipated at the sight of the worried look on his companion's handsome face. Taking a deep, calming breath, Castiel sat down on the grass and patted the spot closest to him and began to unpack their lunch. Emerald eyed him skeptically a moment before crouching down and sitting his usual,- wing's length away.

Normally, Castiel would be chatting away about his morning and the work he had done so far, or bringing his sketch book to show what he had been working on. But now, the weight of Micheal’s impending visit had fouled his mood and willingness to talk. Emerald seemed to sense something was wrong and cooed quietly around his sandwich, circling his wing around Castiel's shoulder like he normally did before they parted ways every day. A little more tension eased its way out when that familiar warmth washed over his neck and face. He felt a little safer once he was surrounded by a curtain of green. Smiling weakly, Castiel looked over at his pet and nodded.

“I'm alright. It’s just... My brother called.... he will be visiting us. Do you remember Michael?”

At the mention of his former owner, Emerald's wings flared out wide, sending their little plastic basket flying across the grass and disturbing a few branches and leaves with the displacement of air around them. Hissing, Emerald rose up slowly and took a few steps back, food forgotten as he gave Castiel a wary, angry look. Castiel quickly got up to his feet and put his hands up.

“Easy, easy! I am no happier than you about it. Believe me, if I could get out of it I would- He is coming over for dinner and then wants to see you. He will be here and gone within an hour, and we will probably not hear from him for months after that.” He said with a wince when Emerald flashed his teeth anyway, clearly unimpressed with the explanation. When his pet flared his wings up, Castiel took a step back, preparing for Emerald to charge and claw at him-- but no attack came. There was a gust of air and a soft 'swish' from those great green wings and Emerald was gone, vanished into the back of the green house.

Letting out the breath he did not know he was holding, Castiel gathered up the unused basket still full of sandwiches and sweets and a bottle of mango juice he had wanted Emerald to try. As he closed the maintenance door behind him and locked it, Castiel could feel that unmistakable sensation of eyes watching him. With a heavy sigh, Castiel went back into the main part of his house, getting ready to call his personal chef Marcel; mentally bracing himself for inevitable French cursing he would get when he had to explain who the chef would be cooking for.

Predictably, Marcel cursed him out in both English and French the entire time he worked in the kitchen. Castiel ignored his chef while he continued to set the dining table for two. Over the sounds of banging pans and sizzling meat, Castiel heard Marcel give a break to his cursing to ask him a question.

“Monsieur Milton, why do you allow that... pompous ass to just barge into your life like he does?” The little French man asked as he chopped fresh fruit for the tarts.

The casualness of the question would have sent Michael and some of Castiel's family reeling that the help would be so informal. Castiel did not mind it though He only had a few staff members for his house, and most of them were focused around caring for the immense green house that dwarfed his own home by half and required more in-depth care. Castiel gave a dry laugh and carefully arranged the silverware.

“I owe him quite a bit Marcel. He has helped me a lot- in the last few years especially. At the end of the day, he is still my big brother. I can suffer through an evening with him every now and then-” He joked weakly, looking up from the plate he was running his finger across. There was a soft grunt from Marcel and a hard slap from his knife.

“He is still a pompous ass, always walking around like he is so important because he works with your American president or whatever. You know he always complains about my cooking! That damn fool would not know good food even if it stood up and kicked him in his self-righteous balls!” Marcel growled and threw his knife in the sink and washed his hands.

Logically, Castiel probably should not have allowed a member of his family's service staff to speak of their head of house in such a way, but when it was said with such an outraged French accent, he could not help but smile.

“Marcel...” He chided softly, with no real warning. The little French man just rolled his eyes and went to check on the lamb. It went quiet after that, and Castiel finished setting the table before moving on to picking up around his home. His house was hardly messy, hardly even lived in, but it never hurt to be extra sure that everything was in its proper order for his meticulous brother.

A few books were scattered on the coffee table and a few throw pillows were out of place, but these were easy fixes. He came to the last book on the table and brought it up to closely examine it. It was one of his sketch books and at its front page was a hastily drawn image of Emerald from last week when he got a smudge of cherry filling on his cheek. It was so endearing, when Emerald turned to look at him with wide curious eyes, completely oblivious to the mess. It was just a sketch from memory; Castiel never tried sketching Emerald during their lunches but he always kept the images burned into his mind for later.

A soft shuffling from the kitchen made him look up; Marcel was drying his hands off with a rag at his waist.

“Zhe lamb is baking and zhe tarts are in the fridge to chill. Should all be ready in about an hour... I trust you can handle the rest?”

Castiel nodded, quickly snapping his sketch book shut and putting it with the rest of his books but not before his chef managed to catch a glimpse and smiled.

“Monsieur Milton, do you have yourself a new model for your art?” He asked with a waggle of his eye brow. Castiel flushed red and shook his head. He had not drawn in Emerald's wings in the picture. Naturally, anyone who caught a glance would assume he was human. His reddened cheeks must have been misinterpreted, because his chef gave him a friendly pat on the back.

“No need to be ashamed Monsieur, 'e is very 'andsome and you should be quite proud to 'ave landed such a man.” He teased with another friendly slap on the back. Castiel grunted and gave his chef a rather mortified look and moved back towards the kitchen.

“Um... thank you Marcel. That will be all for this evening, I appreciate you for coming over on such short notice, it all smells wonderful.” Castiel went to the fridge to gather the ingredients to make the salad, keeping his expression carefully neutral. He heard his chef laugh and make his face redden further.

“Very well, good luck wi' your brother tonight... if 'e has a problem with my cooking tell 'im to shove it up 'es ass.” He huffed and gathered his belongings and showed himself out. Castiel remained red for a good 10 minutes after Marcel left, flustered just thinking about Marcel's accusation. Castiel thought of Emerald as a very beautiful, graceful creature that roamed naked through his massive green-house and nothing more... But was that true? The more he thought about it, the more he could not help but remember the way Emerald's green eyes lit up when he saw the basket of food, or the way they would focus so intensely when Castiel spoke about the most mundane things...

A shrill beeping broke his thoughts and made Castiel rush over to the oven to remove the lamb before it burned.

Just as Castiel was finishing up putting the last of the garnish around the plates, the door bell rang at exactly seven p.m. Michael was always on time. Castiel hurriedly ran a hand through his unruly hair and brushed off his button down shirt to smooth out wrinkles. He pulled the door open on the second doorbell ring.

“Hello Michael.” Castiel said smoothly.

Michael nodded once and stepped inside without further invitation. Michael was dressed in his normal, pressed three piece suit and gold tie that always seemed to give his eyes this dangerous glow.

“It smells good in here Castiel. Did you have Marcel come in?” Michael asked casually, putting his hands in his pockets and gave room for his littlest brother to lead the way. Castiel nodded and quietly pushed back and made his way to the dining room with Michael following behind. He pulled out his brother’s chair at the head of the table.

“I did,, he told me to give you his best wishes before he left.” Michael seemed to leave faster when Castiel made casual conversation, and so he always tried despite the discomfort of it. Michael snorted and took his seat, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat down and pulled his chair in.

“Yes, I am sure he did.” He did not even wait for Castiel to take his seat before he served up himself. Castiel shrugged, sitting down at Micheal’s side and gathering up a little salad. Dinner was, as usual, characterized by awkward silence and soft clanging of silverware on china. Eventually, Michael broke the silence as he always did. “How are things Castiel, are you still doing your little arts and crafts?”

He said so casually, pretending not to notice how Castiel's shoulders stiffened and his mouth drew into a hard line. Michael loved to push his buttons more than all his other siblings, so Castiel had to learn early on not to respond to his oldest brother's jabs.

“Yes Michael, I still paint every day. In fact, I am working on a new series I hope to have released next year...” He did not bother to finish when it became glaringly apparent that Michael did not really care about his work, if the blank expression on his brother’s face was any sign.

They fell back into their normal, awkward silence after that, Castiel not even bother to ask about his brother's line of work. Anything he needed to know he could learn on line or the television. Castiel had barely touched his salad when Michael was requesting deserts. The tarts looked extremely appealing, with fresh strawberries, kiwi, and mango topped with sugar and a little side of whipped crème. After making sure Michael was not looking, Castiel slipped a few tarts into a baggie to take for Emerald to try later.

He served up the tarts with a mug of coffee for Michael, and some tea for himself. Michael ate three tarts and finished his coffee while Castiel barley ate one and his tea had turned cold. When Michael pushed his plate away and stood, Castiel quickly followed the example, just as years of conditioning had taught him.

“I would like to see him now Castiel. Please, lead the way.”

With his eyes on the carpet, Castiel nodded and moved past his brother as quickly as he could without running. The sooner they made it to the green house, the sooner Michael would go and leave them alone. As soon as they passed through the back door that lead to the observation Deck hallway, Michael immediately loosened his tie and shirt.

“It is so hot here Castiel. Do you not notice this heat?”

Castiel shrugged and unlocked the observation deck door at the end of the hall, feeling another wave of heat roll over them when they were in the main part of the green house was opened.

“I do not notice it anymore; I spend so much time here now.” He said quietly, holding the door open for his brother. Michael shook his head and wandered to the deck's few bench seats and sat down, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow. Castiel closed the door with a soft 'click' and took a spot beside his brother with an uncomfortable grimace. He rarely used the built in bench seats, preferring to bring in a stool with his easel to work on. He never realized how uncomfortable the benches actually were.

They stared out into the lush vegetation in silence, Michael looking very intensely between some trees while Castiel awkwardly looked side to see, trying to see what Michael was looking out. He was about to ask when Michael broke the silence.

“Where is he?” He asked as he leaned forward and squinted at the plants.

Castiel blinked and looked around one more time. “I don't know, he prefers to be hidden most of the time. I figure he moves to the far back of the enclosure.” Shrugging, Castiel did one more look around before looking to his brother. “Bobby and Rufus have reported encounters with him, but nothing serious has happened. Joshua says he has seen him as well but Emerald keeps his distance.”

It was annoying to have to give Michael a detailed report of Emerald like this, all things considered. Michael hd no right to the information, considering hew he'd had very nearly put Emerald down at demand of the city. Just thinking about it made Castiel's skin crawl and his face to flush with anger. If Michael noticed, he made no comment. Michael sat up huffily and ran a hand over his face. He walked up to the observation room bars and tapped on them lightly.

“I see. Call him.”

Castiel blinked and tilted his head. “What? Call who-?”

“Your pet, Castiel. call him.”

The request took Castiel by surprise. He frowned and went to stand by his brother.

“I can't just whistle or snap my fingers for him, Michael. Emerald is very willful and proud,- I can’t control his actions.” He tapped on the bar under his fingers, looking away. Michael said nothing for a long, tense moment. Despite the warmth of the green house, Michael's fingers were cold when they wrapped around his chin and forced him to look at Michael.

“Why don’t you just _try_?” Michael whispered dangerously into his little brother’s ear. Castiel shivered and jerked his face away. He hated it when Michael spoke like that, hiding his malice under this sickening false sweetness. Castiel looked out into the green house, scanning the area for any sign of green feathers. With a sigh, Castiel banged on the bars a few times and called out.

“Emerald!” He called out without much enthusiasm. Of course, nothing happened. Emerald showed up when he wanted to, likewise, Castiel never tried to force,- or bribe him into coming. Well... perhaps the pies and sandwiches were a bribe, but that hardly counted. Shrugging, Castiel turned to Michael.

“I told you, he does what he --” A gust of cool air from behind him caught both their attention. Emerald was there, standing straight with wings still puffed out and feathers looking a little disheveled, as though he was in the middle of grooming and had stopped to come to Castiel's call. It warmed his heart a little that Emerald came running when he called. He stared at his pet with a sense of awe. His hair looked wet and Castiel wondered if he might have interrupted his bath... There was a naturally filtered pond further in the back that Castiel hadn’t sat by sit by since Emerald had started living there.

A quiet gasp from Michael distracted him from his thoughts. Michael was staring too, eyes roaming over Emerald's powerful wings, across his chest, and landed on his midsection. “Have you been feeding him properly? He is looking a bit thick in the middle...”

Castiel frowned, also giving Emerald a once over. It was true; Emerald had put on some weight since coming here. When Castiel first got him, he was looking thin, ribs protruding a little, Now, though, but now he looked... well, healthy! Even Joshua had mentioned once that Emerald was looking much better than he had when he first arrived.

“I thought he was looking a bit thin when he arrived, so I have been feeding him a bit more since then... did he eat well at the gardens?” Castiel asked nonchalantly. Michael rolled his eyes.

“How should I know? They fed him every day and what he did after that was between him and his handlers.” Michael snorted and looked back to his brother. “Has he been behaving since being here?”

Castiel resisted the urge to roll his eyes, too, and instead- turned them back to Emerald. The entire time, Emerald had been very still and quite since he showed up, but never once had he taken his eyes off Castiel, acting is if Michael did not even exist.

“He's been fine. Very quiet, no trouble.” Castiel nodded, turning away from Emerald to pay attention to what Michael was saying. Michael was giving him a skeptical raise of his eye brow.

“Really? Because he was an utter terror at the gardens. I am still paying for one of his handlers to keep quiet. Damn beast tore him up pretty good and yet you and your staff do not even have a scratch.” He flicked his cold blue eyes between Emerald and his little brother.

“I don't know Michael. Perhaps he's more at ease without being gawked at by hundreds of people a day.” Castiel shrugged and tapped his fingers against the bar again. Emerald perked up at the sound and tilted his head as he listened to Castiel's fingers tap.

Michael bristled slightly but otherwise held it together. His face smoothed out and he let his eyes roll back to Emerald and smiled a little. “Well, I suppose it is good to know he responds better in private captivity. My associate will be glad to hear it.”

Castiel jerked his head up in alarm. “Why would your associate care about that?” He asked slowly, eyes narrowing. Michael smirked and adjusted his tie.

“Because Castiel,” He said with a quirk of his lips, “My associate is going to be this beasts new owner. I'm selling him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel finds out some interesting little tidbits about his pet.

Castiel's mouth went dry. “What are you talking about...? You can’t sell Emerald. He- He is my pet! I bought him from you when you could not handle him. If this is a joke, it is not funny Michael.” Castiel kept his voice as calm as he could, but his rapidly increasing heart rate was making it more difficult to keep his composure.

“It is not a joke, brother. I will be giving Emerald over to my friend for his daughter’s birthday. He offered me quite a sum, more than enough to compensate you and the men your pet hurt while he was at the gardens.”

Emerald, which until this point had remained quiet, began to growl softly, eyes narrowed and wings twitching in agitation. Without thinking, Castiel put his hand through the bars and touched the back of Emerald's hand to sooth him. Surprisingly, the creature didn’t flinch away, but this oddity went unregistered as Castiel’s eyes were on his elder brother.

“Michael. You cannot just go and sell my pet. You were preparing to have him euthanized and I stepped in to buy him off of you. So you can’t-”

Michael rolled his eyes and put his hand up, cutting his little brother off. “First of all Castiel; do not tell me what I can and cannot do. Secondly, you may have bought Emerald, but do tell, where does your money come from?” Before Castiel could even utter a defensive word, Michael continued. “Don't give me that crap about your art Castiel, you have not sold a painting in years. I have been supporting you and all of this” He gestured to the green house around him. “For at least the last three of them.”

Finished with his little speech, Michael adjusted his suit once more, moving his tie and buttons back into place. He made for the door while Castiel simply gaped, body completely numb. The sound of the door opening finally snapped Castiel back to attention. “Michael! You can’t do this, I'll... I’ll get a lawyer and fight you on it!”

Michael paused and turned, smarmy brow raised and mocking smirk in place, to laugh in Castiel's face. “A lawyer Castiel, really? And how do you plan to pay for this lawyer? The family attorney will not fight a case against me, and where will you get the money to pay for your own?”

To this, Castiel had nothing to say. He stood there, staring at his brother with trembling shoulders, hands clenched at his side. Emerald was moving now, Castiel could hear him pacing the outside of the observation deck bars, growling and hissing quietly in Michael's direction. Michael ignored him and focused on Castiel. “Don't look at me like that Castiel, you did me a great favor by taking him for me, but now it is time for me to get some compensation for this failed excursion that brought me nothing but a feral beast that costs me millions.” Michael cooed and moved away from the door to put his hands on Castiel's shoulders. “Cheer up little brother, you still have a few months left. Plenty of time to say your good byes and do whatever it is you do with him here. And when it’s all over we can see about getting you a new pet, something simpler like a cat or a dog... or if you like, we can fill this place with birds, it’s too quiet in here.”

Michael moved his hand up to pat his brother's cheek but Castiel slapped his hand away with a snarl, making his older brother shrug his shoulders with a little laugh. “Be fussy if you want, but in time you will see it is for the best, for you and your precious garden. Now, I know you have much to think about, I’ll show myself out. Thank you for dinner Castiel, it was... adequate.”

And just like that, he was gone, the door echoing with a finalizing click. Castiel just stood there, unable to hear anything but Emerald's nervous pacing behind him, he could even hear the rustling of his wings banging against the bars. When his legs finally felt like they could move again, Castiel pushed through the door and nearly ran to get around the side to get into the main part of the garden. He threw the maintenance door open and ran to his normal spot, not caring that the door closed and locked behind him.

“Emerald!” He shouted, his voice echoing unusually through the normally quite green house. Emerald wasted no time; he dropped down from the gentle slope by the observation deck and rushed up to Castiel, wings flared out behind him. Castiel stared at his pet; this... creature he saved from a pointless death at his brother's careless hand. He raise his hands to reach for his pet but when Emerald flinched back he lowered them, biting his lip and looking at his feet.

“I... I'm sorry Emerald. He- he wants to give you away. You won’t live here anymore.” Emerald eyed him a moment, wings slowly coming to rest comfortably against his back. When he moved, Castiel kept his eyes on his feet and his hands at his side, but he could feel it when that familiar warmth of wings wrapped around his shoulders, hovering just above his body but keeping in the heat. Emerald made a quiet cooing noise and Castiel looked up. His pet's face was not angry or confused, he was smiling. It was just a small one, a smile meant to comfort even if it was strained and weak.

“I'm sorry Emerald; I can’t do anything to stop him. I can’t-” A loud, exaggerated sigh made him stop and look up at Emerald's face. Emerald looked like he wanted to say something, his eyebrows drawn together like he was unsure about something important. Castiel thought he should say something, but was fearful of ruining their delicate situation. His gaze was cast to Emerald's tongue when it darted out to lick his lips and opened his mouth.

“Cas.” the name rolled out of Emerald's mouth like a tired sigh, with the corners of his mouth turned up a little, as if he was extremely amused about something.

Castiel just gaped, mouth slightly open. Had... did Emerald just speak? He floundered a moment more before he could find enough words to speak. “Emerald?, I... you can. You-” A hand came up, claws touching to his lips to silence him.

“Dean.” Emerald said gently, moving his hand away from Castiel's mouth to touch his own chest. “Dean, Cas” He said again, putting his hand to Castiel's chest. “Cas”

After a few long, Finally, Castiel's brain put the pieces together. Emerald was telling him his name. His real name. Castiel blinked and fumbled a little, bumping into Emerald- no, Dean's wings. “Dean” He breathed, shakily putting his hand to the other man's chest. Dean nodded, his eyes lighting up. “Cas, Dean, yes.” His pet could talk, not just talk, but understand and rationalize. This whole time, he was listening to learn. His stomach churned and he would have fallen to his shaky knees if it not for Dean's wings crowding him. His pet... he was no pet at all; he felt like a fool.

“Hello, Dean.” There was nothing else he could think to say, what could even be said? 

Dean grinned, sharp toothed and broad. “Hey, Cas.”

Castiel felt like the air was punched out of him. Feeling light headed, he needed to sit down. Carefully, Castiel brushed aside Dean's wings and stepped back a few feet and nearly collapsed onto the grass, cradling his head in his hands. Dean made a curious noise beside him and could feel the winged man settle in close, putting the wing back around his shoulders while making sure to leave room if Castiel needed to get away. Castiel's head was spinning, and with the room spinning around him, he began to regret not eating more. When he found the strength, Castiel lifted his head from his hands and searched Dean's face for something he could not name. Finally, some words seemed to find him.

“Ok, Dean... You understand what I say?” Castiel asked, enunciating as one would for a child. Dean narrowed his eyes in thought a moment before nodded slowly. Castiel gave a humorless laugh. “How- how long?” Dean tilted his head and thought about it carefully before he opened his mouth. Castiel realized this was Dean working out the words in his head and translating them, it was incredible.

“Not long.... Time, listen.” He waved a clawed hand by his hear then pointed to Castiel. “Listen, you. Listen... ah...” He made some gestures with his hand, running over his face a couple of times, then over his forehead. “Loud, angry.” When Castiel gave him a blank look, Dean gave a frustrated grunt and smacked Castiel upside the head, lightly but enough for Castiel to connect the words and figure out who Dean was talking about. “Bobby? You learned from listening to Bobby and Rufus talking” Dean nodded and ran his hands over the grass. “Other too, Quiet, flowers.” Castiel was catching on quickly now.

“Joshua. Joshua talks to you?” Another nod and a soft smile. “Always watch. Listen.” Castiel was glad he was already sitting down because he was sure he would have collapsed by now. Instead he just barked out more humorless laughs and shook his head. Dean made a soft huff and nudged Castiel's shoulder. “O.k?” Castiel laughed harder. His supposed pet, was trying to see if he was okay.

“Yes, Dean, I'm okay.” He sighed and reached out to put a hand on Dean's arm. Dean glanced to the hand on his arm, but did not flinch away. They went quiet after that, just sitting side by side and soaking up the warmth of the green house. Castiel looked over to Dean, watching as the winged man sat perfectly still, balanced on the balls of his feet and looking out into the green house. He was not looking at anything in particular; Castiel realized it was to give him a sense of privacy while he worked out his own emotions.

“Dean?” he tried quietly. Dean immediately returned his attention back to Castiel. “Cas?”

“Did you understand Michael; do you know what he is doing?”

It took a moment for Dean to work over the words Castiel was saying but eventually he gave a slow, hesitant nod. “Yes... some words, not all.” he paused and twisted up his face as he worked out the words. “Bad man.” Dean growled, closing his wing a little tighter around the artist. Castiel pursed his lips and tugged at the grass under his hands. He had a hard time trying to dispute Dean's accusation about his brother. “Yes Dean... he really can be.”

Another long stretch of silence.

“Cas?”

“Yes Dean?”

Dean shifted their position so he was couching in front of Castiel, putting his hands on the artists shoulder. “Cas, home. Need, home.” He said slowly and seriously. “Bad man take, go back.” He urged and gave Castiel's shoulders a little shake. Castiel bit his lip and felt his eyes start to sting with the force of tears threatening to fall. Dean's quiet, desperate pleas crushed his heart all over again; like the night so long ago when he had been walking the gardens after hours and heard Dean sing. Castiel took in a shaky breath and wiped away the mist from his eyes.

“I... I don’t, I don’t know how.” Castiel admitted softly, wincing when Dean bared his teeth and snapped a little at him, wings spreading out wide and shaking down the the primaries. Castiel took a cautious step back but it only made the winged man growl louder and raise his wings up higher. Against his better judgment, Castiel stood his ground and tried to plead his case. “Dean, please! Michael... he... he controls everything.” he pleads, waving around to the green around him. “He pays for this place, I have been barley supporting my self let alone all of this... I can't do anything, Dean.” His voice began to shake. 

Dean continued to growl softly, pulling his wings in and flexing them out again, looking frustrated. Castiel opened his mouth, only to snap it shut when Dean turned to face him, wings falling low to his sides, a look of defeat on his face. With a tired sigh, gave a small nod “Okay, Cas.” 

It was at that moment that Castiel broke. Tears fell free and rolled down his cheeks, leaving hot tracks that would surely dry his skin out later. Castiel gave a shuddering sob from deep in his chest, startling Dean a little, but the creature did not move when Castiel leaned forward to wrap his arms around Dean's neck. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Dean!” He sobbed into the crook of Dean's shoulder. Sorry would never be enough. How could anyone apologize for kidnapping and enslavement? Last time he checked, he was still living in modern America, things like this weren’t supposed to happen anymore! Castiel sobbed harder the more he thought about every encounter, every moment he had with Dean. All that time he had thought of the winged man as an animal, how everyone did. Even Anna... Oh god, Anna. She was the veterinarian that preformed his wellness check. The humiliation Dean must have felt at being poked and prodded then forced to go around naked....

Sniffling, Castiel pulled back from Dean's wet neck, having worked out all his sobs to just soft whimpering. Dean seemed to get that Castiel might need a little space and pulled his wings back about a foot, resting his arms on his knees, still displaying that perfect balance on the balls of his feet. Castiel tried to smile but when he took in Dean's appearance he suddenly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. Before, the man's nakedness never really bothered him. Emerald was his pet and you rarely saw a dog or cat in clothing (except for Gabriel buying his little dog a sweater), but Dean could no longer be his pet. Dean was a thinking, reasoning creature and it would be wrong to assume he was any less sentient than the average human.

“Dean... do you want some clothing?” Castiel asked slowly, gesturing to his own pants for emphasis. Dean cocked his head and looked at Castiel's pants, reorganization lighting up in his eyes. 

He nodded. “Yes Cas! Bad men take wrap.” Dean stood up and gestured by drawing an invisible line around his waist. Castiel averted his eyes, and felt his face grow hot. 

“Alright Dean, calm down,” Castiel said as he hid behind his hands. “I'll see about getting you some clothes right away.” 

Dean's wings flapped excitedly, disturbing the foliage around them and buffeting Castiel in the face. Castiel laughed a little and pushed the mess of green and gold out of his face. Dean sat back, still grinning, and wings trembling excitedly. 

“You get wrap now?” 

Castiel shook his head, still smiling. 

“I don't think I have anything that will fit your needs right now, but if you can hang on until morning, I will bring you something suitable.” 

Dean considered this for a moment, letting each of Castile's words sink in and carefully translate, before he gave a little nod. “Okay,” His smile became a little more genuine, making Castile’s heart melt. A few ideas of what would work for a new wrap for Dean went through Castiel's head as he made his way to the maintenance door, fully aware of the other man following along softly behind, seeing him out. 

“Good night Dean, I will see you in the morning.” Castiel said softly, one hand resting on the door handle. 

Dean said nothing, but his feathers fluffed up a little, looking more pleased than he ever had in the months living in the green house, it made Castiel's insides do a strange little somersault, so he quickly turned away and gave the the door handle a hard jerk. When it did not give, he pulled again, harder. Those strange, somewhat pleasant somersaults quickly turned to ice in his stomach as he pulled on the door a few more jerky times. It was useless, he was locked in. 

Keenly aware of Dean's eyes on the back of his neck, Castiel could almost picture the confused tilt of his head, and fluffing of his wings. Giving a defeated sigh, he turned and accepted the embarrassment crawling around his chest up into his heated cheeks.

“I- I seem to have locked my self in.” 

Dean just blinked, eyes flickering to the door briefly before settling on Castiel. It took him a moment to understand Castiel's words, but when he did, Dean nodded and gestured for the man to follow him. 

“Hey wait, where are you going?” Castiel stumbled after Dean through the brush, being careful to push aside the thick, low hanging branches. 

“Nest. You sleep here right?” Dean said like it was the most normal thing in the world. Nearly tripping over a root in shock, Castiel glanced back at the door and ran over his options; what else could he do? He was locked out until Joshua came in tomorrow morning to tend to the plants, so unless he wanted to sit by the door all night, he had no choice. Castiel swallowed thickly and looked back to the door just when he heard the rustle of feathers and managed to catch the glimpse of green and gold disappearing into the foliage. 

“W-wait!” Castiel scrambled after the winged man, huffing when a few branches swept back and smacked him in the face. A rough chuckle came from somewhere in the trees, making Castiel huff indignantly as he brushed a few leaves from his shirt collar. 

Long before Dean had been living in his green house, Castiel would spend hours walking around, looking at different plants and flowers and thinking of all the new flowers he could obtain and study later. Castiel thought he knew everything about his green house, about every little flower, tree, and man-made pond. However, it seemed that Dean had been making changes while he had been living in his garden... 

As they came through the trees to a small clearing where Castiel used to have a little bench by his reflecting pond, but it looked like it had been ripped up from its spot and repurposed into materials to make the outer lining of what looked like, a very large nest. Castiel was shocked, to say the least, that Dean had managed to make such a large nest out of many branches, grasses, flowers, and a few pieces of cloth that Castiel did not recognize. 

Curious, Castiel circled the nest, carefully touching the broken wood of his bench and reaching in to pull out what looked like a flannel shirt that he had sworn he had seen before. 

“Dean, where did you get this?” Castiel asked as he picked the soft material up. Dean rushed over to Castiel's side, wings quivering nervously behind him, and quickly smacked the shirt out of his hands with a soft hiss. 

“No touch. For nest.” 

Castiel was quick to draw his hands back, careful not to touch anything further in Dean's nest unless directed. With a soft huff, Dean continued to rearrange a few other items that Castiel did not recognize or ever remember him ever having. A few minuets later, and Dean seemed satisfied with his tinkering. Flaring his wings out in a wide stretch, looking too pleased with himself, he pointed toward the bundle of ripped cloth, grass, wood, and various leaves from around the green house. 

“Sleep.” 

Dean grunted, pulling his wings back in tight to his back. Castiel looked at the nest, then back to Dean, who was still looking proud of himself. Unsure of what to do, Castiel just looked between the pile of twigs and cloth, then back to Dean, clenching and unclenching his hands slowly. However, when Dean's face began to fall, Castiel began to realize he was hesitating too long and quickly stepped inside, smiling kindly.

“Thank you Dean,” Castiel cooed gently, crouching down to his knees carefully. To his Surprise, the base of the nest was softer than he would have given it credit for, “this is lovely, will you... where will you be staying?” Castiel asked curiously, trying not to let the anxiousness he felt escape through his voice.

Dean said nothing, his wings rustling behind him softly. When he made a move towards the nest, Castiel felt his heart jump up into his throat. Was he really going to share a bed with a man he had treated as his pet for these last months? A naked, winged man with a very limited grasp of English and personal space. But Dean did not stop to crouch next to Castiel in the nest. Instead he walked past and began to climb the tree just behind him. 

A breath Castiel had not realized he had been holding, rushed out quietly as he rolled to his back and looked up, watching as Dean climbed up the tree. It was really quite fascinating to watch, Castiel knew that Dean's kind were equipped to a life in the trees and mountains; with the bottoms of their feet scaled and toughened like a bird of prey, and with sharp claws on the end of each finger, they were just as agile climbers as they were flyers. Once Dean was comfortably settled on a lower branch, stretched out over the limb with hands folded under his head and wings lying low around his shoulders, he quietly watched the human stretched out awkwardly in his nest. 

Castiel shifted around, tossed on his back, then his side, trying to find a comfortable position in the little circle of cloth and leaves. It was a difficult thing to do with the heat of Dean's eyes bearing down on him from the branch above. After some more shifting and turning about, Castiel finally settled down with his back to Dean, head resting on the slight raised edge of the nest, arms tucked under himself as comfortably as he could get them. Thankfully, the green house was kept humid and warm for the plants, and would work just as well to keep him warm through the night. 

“Good night, Dean.” Castiel said quietly as he forced his eyes to close and pretend he couldn’t still feel the creature above him watching him. 

***

Morning came with something wet and prickly touching his face. Castiel groaned and lifted his head from the damp grass he was sprawled out upon, blinking away the drowsy mist from his mind as he took stock of where he was. He was still in the green house, Castiel remembered rushing down here after Michael had told him he was selling his pet... 

His pet, or rather his captive. Castiel sat up straighter and looked around. Sometime in the night he had moved, or been moved, to the little clearing of grass just before the maintenance door. According to his watch, it was a little before six A.M. Dean was no where to be seen, off hiding out in the foliage somewhere. Castiel considered calling out for him, maybe even going to find him, but if Dean had taken the time to move him out of the nest during the night, then he probably did not want to be bothered right now. 

 

There was a soft creaking and click of the maintenance door that made Castile spring to his feet, brushing off the grass from his knees and cheek. 

“Mr. Milton?” Joshua's soft, grandfatherly voice asked curiously, taking in his employer’s disheveled and grass-stained appearance. “What are you doing here, have you been here all night?” 

Castiel could feel his face heat up and quickly tried to hide it by brushing the rest of the grass off his pants and shirt. 

“I- um, no I'” He hesitated, thinking back to how reluctant Dean seemed to reveal that he could speak, and thought about how much trust he would have had to put into Castiel. “No, I just lost my pen case again, and I locked my self inside. I’ve only been here an hour or so.” He mumbled out, a little too quick; and judging by the way his gardener’s head tilted back and his eyes narrowed just a little, he didn’t believe him. However, Joshua just smiled politely and nodded. 

“Of course Mr. Milton, but you might wanna ask Bobby about getting your own key. Don't wanna get locked in over night.” He said while shouldering his side bag of various clippers, shovels, and spray bottles for the little plants that may not get the water they need from the over head sprinklers. Castiel felt his face get hotter as he nodded and brushed past the old man, pausing with one hand on the door before murmuring over his shoulder. 

“Please, just call me Castiel.” 

Either Joshua did not hear him or chose not to hear him, because Castiel could hear him humming a song softly to himself as he fearlessly went into the thick brush. Once the maintenance door was firmly locked in place behind him, Castiel all but ran back to the main part of his house, not stopping until he was upstairs in his own bed room with the door locked firmly behind him. 

Still reeling from Michael's news and the revelation of his pet's intelligence, all the energy seemed to drain right out of Castiel's body as he collapsed with a heavy sigh onto his bed. His head hurt, and while he would have loved nothing more than to fall asleep again, in the comfort of his own bed, It was with the thought of how comfortable, and warm, his own bed was that reminded him of Dean, out in the green house, naked and uncomfortable. Castiel forced open his eyes and made his limbs push himself up, off of the bed as he dragged his feet toward his computer. 

Dean wanted a 'wrap'. Castiel did not fully understand what that meant, but he gathered it must be some simple cloth that Dean's kind would wear around their waist. Unsure of how to describe a wrap, Castiel tapped in a few words into Google search, trying his luck to find anything that Dean could use. The first few images were a bust. Many pictures of sarongs wrapped around the slim hips of pretty women on the beach, which were no help. The thin fabrics were all colored in soft pastels or printed with flowers and all were so thin and see through. The mental images of Dean, already naked, then wrapped in these soft, sheer fabrics that left noting to the imagination. 

Castiel had to take a minute to sit back from his computer and rest his forehead on the desk, so mortified by his own imagination and hating himself and the heat in his face that the imaginings brought. It was easy to laugh off any thoughts he had of his pet when he was just his pet; but Dean was not a pet, and it would do Castiel no good to be thinking of him in any other outfits or situations that would not be acceptable under any normal circumstances. 

He quickly deleted the search and began to wrack his brain for anything else that Dean could use to cover himself. While he looked around the room, and casually tried a few more searches on his computer, Castiels traitorous mind started to wander back to the image of Dean in the soft cloth of the sarong. Shaking his head, Castiel tried to force the image out, tried to ignore the way the smooth fabric rested against Dean's thigh, or the way it split at the tie at his hip, showing off long, strong legs that lead all the way up to-

No! with a frustrated growl, Castiel forced himself to at least change the image if he could not rid himself of it. Slowly, the thin mesh material turned to sturdy cotton, and the flowery pastels morphed to harsh black and yellow plaid. A soft snort came out of his nose as the image of dean in a kilt formed in his mind. Castiel continued to chuckle just a little when he started to realize that honestly, it was not a bad idea. A kilt would provide the coverage Dean would want, and should be comfortable enough for him to move freely like he did out in the trees. 

Intrigued by the idea, Castiel typed a few words in his search engine, and was quickly lead to a website that sold a unique item called 'utilikilts'. While the name of the product sounded ridiculous, the kilts were actually well put together, practical, and all the reviews of the kilts were positive and helpful. After browsing a bit, Castiel found a few colors in the kilts that maybe Dean would like. He picked out a black, green, navy, and just for fun, a camouflage printed kilt. Perhaps Dean would appreciate the little bit of color to blend in with the trees. 

After entering his credit card information, and selecting the over-priced, next day delivery option, Castiel started to feel a little sick again as he paid for the kilts with more of Michael's money. It was not like he did not know where his funds came from, but to have it slapped in his face like his brother had, just made that sinking feeling of self loathing rear is ugly head up higher. After clicking 'send' Castiel cast a side glance to the pile of unfinished canvases in the corner of his bed room. He had not finished a single painting in years, and the money he had made from previous sales to high bidders ran out long ago. He thought Michael coming to his rescue was only done on the bidding of their departed father, who's last wish was that the eldest of them look out for the rest. So far, Michael kept his promise, being sure that Castiel wanted for noting, and even had been known to bail their wayward brother Gabriel out of more than one bit of trouble in his life. 

It had been a sort of unwritten rule that they never mention it to each other, continuing about their lives like noting was different. Until the day that Dean had been brought into the botanical garden, and was looking at being put down for refusing to be treated like a spectacle, Castiel was sure he would have never been in contact with his older brother unless absolutely necessary. 

Thinking back to the look on his brother’s face when Castiel had offered to buy Dean from him, to keep him hidden away from the public eye. The way Michael smirked and patted Castiel on the back, telling him what a great idea that was. It made that queasy feeling run down his body all the way to the very pit of his stomach. Michael had planned this all along. He had never intended for Castiel to keep Dean, only allowed him to keep him long enough until the heat of the law suits ebbed away. 

If it was possible, Castiel was even more emotionally drained, and just barley had the strength to get back into bed and kick his shoes off. None to gently, Castiel yanked his blankets up and crawled under them, covering his head and shutting out the world. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Castiel knew he would need to go back down to the green house and speak with Dean, tell him he had something coming for him and probably bring him something more substantial than the fruit and grains that would be given to him by Bobby and Rufus. 

All of these things and more, the day’s chores seemed just too far out of reach right now, and Castiel had barley the strength to even order the kilts, let alone tackle anything more. Wrapping himself tightly into the soft cocoon of his comforter, the man felt himself drifting into sleep. It could wait, he could deal with all these problems after some proper rest in his own bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for their patients and never giving up on me! this is gonna be slow rollings since i work an obscene amount of my time.


End file.
